fairbank



UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

S. D. FAIRBANK, OF COHOES, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CHARLES H.ADAMS,

OF SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHERMAN D. FAIR- BANK, of Cohoes, Albany county,State of New York, have invented an Improvement in the Construction ofKnitting Machinery; and I declare the following specification, with thedrawings hereto attached as part of the same, to be a full and perfectdescriptio-n thereof.

My improvement is intended as a substitute for the needle latchregulator described in the Letters Patent issued to Jonas B. Aiken,assignor, &c., on the 22d of May,

Figure l represents in plan a portion of a rotary knitting machine, withtwothirds of the needles removed, with my apparatus attached, also withMr. Aikens latch regulator attached, in contrast with mine. Fig. 2represents Mr. Aikens latch regulator in perspective and Fig. 3 myimprovement also in perspective.

Similar letters in the different figures denote the same parts of theapparatus.

Mr. Aikens invention is that of an arm A projecting from the frame ofthe machine just above the needles, terminating in a thin bar or plate Blying at right angles to them, with a sharply pointed end, arranged soas to enter the hooks of the needles and lift up by its wedge shapedcontinuation the latches a, and turn them over, opening the hooks toreceive the yarn as the needles are drawn back in the knittingoperation.

The practical difficulty in the working of this device is, that becauseof the delicate structure of the needles, and the necessity of eXtremeeXactness in their movements the unavoidable vibration of the machinery,from its very rapid movements, or irregularity in the thickness of theyarn, by knots or otherwise, causes, at times, the point of the bar tomiss the hooks, and pass above or below the needles, forcing them up ordown or sidewise against each other, injuring them and spoiling the workitself, frequently causing great loss of time in repairs andreadjustments of the apparatus, besides cost in replacing the needles.

Now my invention is intended to obviate the need of, and do away withthe use of such a latch opener, by the use of a bar or interceptor,arranged in such a position over the needles, as to intercept thelatches after they are opened or thrown back by the 18,792, datedDecember 1, 1857.

through it, the loop (being part of the clothwhich hangs downward),pressing with considerable tension upon the needle. Now the yarn passingover the latch, which lies nearly back upon the body of t-he needle asshown at b, Fig. 3, when the loop reaches the end of the latch it dropsdown so suddenly from it upon the needle that its elasticity snaps itforward with force enough to carry it over upon the hook.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the improvementwhich I have invented, I will proceed to describe its construction anduse, referring to the drawings above mentioned.

C, is a bar or arm fastened to the frame of the machine as representedin the drawing or otherwise; with its edge e, e, which forms theinterceptor, arranged in such a position in relation to the needles b,as to catch the latches a, a, should they spring over toward the pointor hook of the needles after being opened or thrown back by the stitchesof the fabric, as the needles are pushed out or the fabric pressed backupon the needles in the process of knitting, so as to hold the latchesopen until the hooks of the needles are supplied with yarn through thehole f, in the opposite end of the bar C, to form a new series ofstitches.

The edge e, e, of the interceptor is curved or inclined toward theShanks, of the needles as shown in the drawing-to turn back the latches,so as that they may pass under the interceptor, which is so arranged tolet the needles pass freely under it, and traverse in and out, as may berequired to eii'ect the knitting of the fabric.

.In the process of knitting the needles are moved out through thestitches, so as to pass the stitches over the latches, and while somoved out the yarn is supplied into the hooks of the needles when theyare drawn back, the stitches closing the latches and slipping ofi overthe ends of the needles so as to form new stitches, of the yarn in thehooks of the needles which stitches slip back upon the needles in theirturn as the needles are moved out and open the latches again for a newsupply of yarn to form another set of stitches.

It will be seen from the above description that there is no possibledanger of the needles being injured. No matter at what speed the arm C,may move the latches, if they fly up, will be intercepted by it, andkept certainly out of t-he way of the yarn, a result fully proved by afair experience in the use of the apparatus. I apply to my invention thename of needle latch interceptor.

I believe I have described and represented the improvement in knittingmachines whch I have invented, so as to enable any person, skilled inthe art to make and use it. I will now state what I desire to secure byLetters Patent to wit: I do not claim a latch regulator with a point topass under the latches after they are closed such as is described andrepresented in the patent granted to Jonas Bpand Herrick Aiken,

May 22d, 1855. Neither do I claim a yarn carrier in combination with alatch regulator as described in said patent. But

l/Vhat I do claim is l. A latch interceptor consisting of a bar or armarranged in such a position over the needles as to intercept the latchesafter they are opened or thrown back by the stitches of the fabric knit,and hold them open until the yarn is supplied to form new stitches, andthen allow them to be closed again substantially as described.

2. I also claim in combination with the above described interceptor, theyarn carrier f, for the purpose of delivering the yarn substantially asset 'forth in the within specification.

S. D. FAIRBANK.

